Icon - Arrow LeftAn icon we use to indicate a rightwards action. Icon - Arrow RightAn icon we use to indicate a leftwards action. Icon - External LinkAn icon we use to indicate a button link is external. Icon - MessageThe icon we use to represent an email action. Icon - Down ChevronUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - CloseUsed to indicate a close action. Icon - Dropdown ArrowUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - Location PinUsed to showcase a location on a map. Icon - Zoom OutUsed to indicate a zoom out action on a map. Icon - Zoom InUsed to indicate a zoom in action on a map. Icon - SearchUsed to indicate a search action. Icon - EmailUsed to indicate an emai action. Icon - FacebookFacebooks brand mark for use in social sharing icons. flipboard Icon - InstagramInstagrams brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - PinterestPinterests brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - TwitterTwitters brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - Check MarkA check mark for checkbox buttons.
You are reading

10 Favorites: Vintage-Style Matches

Search

10 Favorites: Vintage-Style Matches

December 21, 2012

Every year, my grandmother would light the holiday candles with long golden matches contained in a bold poinsettia box. I have no idea where she got them—some relic from the 1960s, no doubt—but ever since then I've had a fondness for vintage-style matchboxes.

Perfect for the holidays and winter months to come, today's favorites channel much of the whimsy and charm of the past. I think Grandma would approve.

10 Favorites VintageStyle Matches portrait 3

Above: Homespun-style chic, Jen Pearson's recycled apothecary matchstick bottles feature an etched glass bottom which provides the perfect surface for striking a match; $18 for small, $25 for large.

10 Favorites VintageStyle Matches portrait 4

Above: What to do with all those old library cards? Erin Roof makes them into these ephemeral matchboxes; $6.50.

screen shot 2012 12 19 at 1 54 59 pm

Above: For all you cool cats out there, a vesta box is a safe, durable, and certainly stylish way to transport your matches. This one, designed in 1912 by HeinrichVom HofeSafer, is handmade in Germany from stainless steel. Available at Cooper-Hewitt shop; $40.

700 screen shot 2012 12 19 at 11 25 08 am

Above: The closest thing I could find to my Grandmother's matches, these vintage gold matches come in a rare California Savings and Loan box; $15.

700 81y yt w5wl  sl1500

Above: Offering innumerable designs, HomArt has one of the largest collections of vintage style boxes that I've ever seen; $3.95 each.

10 Favorites VintageStyle Matches portrait 8

Above: It's killing me that you can't actually buy these matches. (If you know differently, please do tell!) They are a project by lighting designer Kaoru Mende for Kenya Hara's Re-Design.

screen shot 2012 12 19 at 11 38 07 am

Above: One of my favorites, extra long matches in black are both practical (fewer burnt fingers) and simply elegant; £4.60.

10 Favorites VintageStyle Matches portrait 10

Above: This vibrant Bengali Tiger is one of many retro designs by A Fine Match Box Company, available at Present; £5.

10 Favorites VintageStyle Matches portrait 11

Above: For adventurous types, Pro Force's survival matches are water and wind proof; $8.

700 screen shot 2012 06 19 at 10 11 43 pm

Above: Sometimes American landscapes are as ephemeral as matches. Recording these vicissitudes, as well as the occasional continuity, artist Krista Charles takes salvages match books, locates the original establishment, and then sketches the current scene on the inside cover; $20 to $35.

N.B.; Looking for some illuminating products to go with your stylish matches? See 929 candles in our Accessories section.

(Visited 2,324 times, 1 visits today)
You need to login or register to view and manage your bookmarks.

Product summary  Item 6 159Item 7 160

Have a Question or Comment About This Post?

Join the conversation

v5.0